Go Retro With Florida’s Drive-In Movie Scene

May 15, 2015

By Natashia Ford 

(original post link: http://www.state27.com/blog/2015/5/15/go-retro-with-floridas-drive-in-movie-scene)

This past weekend on a day trip to Lakeland (which is a great city – stay tuned for a future post about it), I did something outside of the box and a bit old school. I took my kids to a drive-in movie! Yes, you can still find a drive-in movie theatre in Florida!

We went to the Silver Moon Drive-In Theatre. It has two movie screens that show popular new releases like “Avengers Age of Ultron”, which is what we decided to watch. 

Silver Moon Drive-In Theatre opened on April 14, 1948 and was the first drive-in theatre in Lakeland, Florida.  

Photo credit: Lauren Mitchell Flickr CC

Low Cost Fun

Silver Moon charges $5 for ages 10+ and $1 for children ages 4-9. On “Bargain Thursdays” ages 10+ pay $4. All in all, these ticket prices are a steal compared to big box movie theaters.

Parking 

I'd recommend you get there early for a good spot as the parking lot does fill up. If you have a truck, hatchback or SUV and you plan to sit in the back of your vehicle for the movie, the back row is your best bet. This helps to not block the view of others. That's where we decided to park.

How to Handle Mosquitoes

Our repellent power in action! We put the wristbands on super early!

I love being outdoors, and the night air was perfect. Of course, living in Florida, we had to contend with mosquitoes, but we were prepared. Not only did we bring spray repellent, but I found these neat bug repellent wrist/ankle bands that come in a 3-pack of fun colors! (They're called Bugables® and you can find them at Target.)

Photo Credit: Visit Florida Editor Flickr CC Copyright 2014

 Low Cost Food

Once we were mosquito proof, I ran to the concessions to get our snacks. Drive-ins make all of their money from their concessions. So to keep the drive-in open, it’s always best to support them through food purchases. I was pleasantly surprised by the insanely affordable prices. A large popcorn (that includes refills) is $4.75, cotton candy that they make right there is $2.00, bottle of water $1.50 — how can you not get excited about that? 

As the movie started we tuned into the drive-in’s radio station to hear the audio. If you really want to go old school, Silver Moon does have a limited supply of the speakers that attach to your car.

This was my kids' first time at a drive-in, so they weren’t quite sure what to expect. In their opinion it was like a movie in the park, but better because you get to watch a new movie, and the food at the concession stand was great!

Spotted this lovely lady at the concession area. She's so fierce!

Where To Find A Drive-In Theatre

Check out Florida’s drive-in theatre scene at any of these last remaining drive-ins:

Silver Moon Drive-In Theatre – Lakeland, FL 

Joy-Lan Drive-In Theatre & Swap Shop - Dade City, FL 

Ruskin Family Drive-In – Ruskin, FL 

Ocala Drive-In Theatre – Ocala, FL  

Fun-Lan Movies & Swap Shop – Lake Worth, Fort Lauderdale & Tampa 

Fla.’s housing market shows strength in 1Q 2015

 

Related

NAR: Metro home prices maintain steady growth in 1Q 2015

ORLANDO, Fla. – May 11, 2015 – Florida's housing market had more closed sales, higher median prices, more new listings, fewer days on the market and a slight uptick in inventory during the first quarter of 2015, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Closed sales of single-family homes statewide totaled 59,599 in 1Q 2015 – 18.6 percent more the 1Q 2014 figure.

"In the first three months of 2015, distressed property sales continued to decline in Florida – a sign of the strong housing market," says 2015 Florida Realtors President Andrew Barbar, a broker with Keller Williams Realty Services in Boca Raton. "The state's population is increasing, more jobs are available and the economy is growing. To that point, Florida has just been ranked as the second-best state in the U.S. to do business, according to a survey of CEOs in a report from Chief Executive magazine.

"In another positive indicator for Florida's housing market, new listings for single-family homes over the three-month-period rose 7.4 percent year-over-year, while new townhouse-condo listings rose 3.1 percent."

The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes in 1Q 2015 was $182,000, up 8.3 percent from the same time a year ago, according to data from Florida Realtors Industry Data and Analysis department in partnership with local Realtor boards/associations.

The statewide median price for townhouse-condo properties during the quarter was $145,000, up 7.4 percent over the year-ago figure. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less.

In Florida's townhouse-condo market, statewide closed sales totaled 26,637 during the first quarter of 2015, up 7.1 percent compared to 1Q 2014. The closed sales data reflected fewer short sales last month: Short sales for condo-townhome properties declined 48.4 percent while short sales for single-family homes dropped 33.5 percent. Closed sales typically occur 30 to 90 days after sales contracts are written.

"The numbers in our quarterly report confirm the vibrancy of the housing market in Florida," says Florida Realtors Chief Economist Dr. John Tuccillo. "Even the condo market, which had lagged the single-family market, has performed nicely. Of special note is the continued improvement in single-family sales and prices in all Florida metro areas. However, we are still concerned with tight inventory, particularly in the single-family market."

In 1Q 2015, the median days on market (a midpoint for the number of days it took properties to sell) was 58 days for single-family homes and 56 days for townhouse-condo properties.

Inventory was at a 5.1-months' supply in the first quarter for single-family homes and at a 6.1-months' supply for townhouse-condo properties.

According to Freddie Mac, the interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.72 percent for 1Q 2015, down from the 4.36 percent average recorded during the same quarter a year earlier.

To see the full statewide housing activity reports, go to Florida Realtors' website under "Research." Association members (login required) also have access to local data specific to their market.